Okay, for you all, I'm going to go back through and explain why every mike/Will scene in vol 2 leads to endgame, but that can start tomorrow.
For right now, I'm going to tackle the coming out scene and specifically Mike's reaction.
It starts off strong. No one really knows where Will's going w this, and he's talking about them all being friends, and playing d&d (Mike smiles) and it's sweet. Mike's warmed by Will. Obviously.
and then Will says the thing. "I don't like girls." And, while the rest of his friends are in the shot right after, Mike is the one we're obviously supposed to be looking at. He gets serious. Sits up straight.
It's the focus, bc Lucas and Dustin are almost stone still. But Mike is physically affected.
only After the line, when Will goes to elaborate, does it show Lucas and Dustin's reactions.
"I mean I do. Just... not like you guys." and ohhhh suddenly D+L understand. Suddenly they get it, and they sit up too.
And Then. Will makes direct eye contact and talks about his "crush". And Mike....
He perks up, just slightly- the tick of an eyebrow.
He glances down, quickly, and looks back up.
His face is twitching, unable to hold still.
Will then starts talking about the fear of losing loved ones- of drifting apart, and That being why he didn't come out: because he was scared.
And as he's saying this, we cut to Mike. Mike, who is no longer in a frame of three- him, Lucas, and Dustin. No, this is a close up, and he's almost completely alone in the frame, and he swallows. He's still; frozen.
After, it takes Three people hugging Will before Mike can join. Usually he'd be there, right after Jonathan, but he hesitates. He hesitates. He waits.
And he's the first to move to pull away from the hug.
"I need to show him I'm not afraid anymore." And it cuts to Mike. Who nods, determined.
All of this points to Mike having something- a secret of his own. Something he's afraid of and that Vecna can use against him- something relating close enough to Will's speech that had him nodding along and seeming more affected and moved by his words by the second.
I think this scene was done perfectly. Coming out is scary, but a little less so when you've already had three people cheering you on (Joyce, Jon, Robin) and offering unwavering love/support about your queerness.
Because of this, and his bravery and strength, he now has this extra layer of protection when they face off against Vecna. He knows how his friends and family feel about him, and his secret. It can't be used against him ever again.
I mean, literally none of his queerness can. He literally just looked Mike in the eyes and told him he was his crush.
Mike, though, he's not safe.
He, before this day, wasn't even aware he knew other queer people. He's always felt completely and utterly alone in this, and we've seen how societal norms and pressure from others affect his life and decisions. He is afraid.
But he just saw Will come out, and saw everyone's reactions (Except Nancy's... and the rest of his family's), and he's seeing that it can actually be brave and beautiful to accept yourself.
Will is now the one helping Mike to feel like not a mistake.
We still have the finale, and I think this scene alone built up to a lot.
Just because Will has all the answers about himself does Not mean he has all the answers regarding his love life (Mike's not Will's Tammy- and that line did Not mean what y'all interpreted it as, and that's okay).
Mike also now not only knows that Will is a safe person to talk to, but that Will Has (Had. He said "Had" and I'm wondering if that will come up at all) A Crush On Him. THE BOY HE LOVES HAS/HAD LOVED HIM BACK.
So, we still have the finale. We still have that monologue Finn teased, and the emotional acting Finn's supposed to deliver, and I know we're going to see it all.
He's, in these last seven episodes, been building up a lot of fear, and anger, and pain, and he doesn't have an outlet. And he just has his biggest insecurities/fears thrown at him by the love of his life in a very emotional, beautiful way. He's a ticking time bomb and that was the fuse.
So, get your butts out of the trenches of despair, rewatch volume 2, and pay attention to Mike.
Watch him put his hand on Will's arm, and watch how he talks to Jane, and see how we've gotten even less of his storyline than even volume 1, and understand that the epilogue will be big.
(I think we live in our heads a little bit, about Byler and this show. We love the plot and all the characters, but we have so many wants and expectations regarding Byler that we forget that this is a show with a giant cast and a giant plot, and that while Byler may be a center, endgame ship, they're not going to have all the screentime. They never have.
And s5 takes place in only a few days, so there's not really time to show the ships having moments- especially ships that aren't canon yet and are slowburn and it's supposed to be a surprise that Mike likes Will back *(bc it is. Will just admitted that he "knows" Mike's not like him. We're not supposed to know that he Is like him, actually.)*
So, while we want Byler to be the main plot and to have emotional moment after emotional moment, the reality is that this isn't Their show- it's the whole party's, there are other characters and stories we need to follow.
But we won't be let down on New Year's. I know we won't. And y'all should believe, too.)
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